Naval Engineering History Simon Lake Autograph Check from Pioneer of Modern Submarine Design 1930

Simon Lake

Manuscripts & Autographs

Lake, Simon. Autograph check, 1930, documents the later life of the American engineer whose innovations transformed the submarine from an experimental vessel into a practical instrument of naval and commercial use. Lake's Argonaut became the first submarine to complete a successful voyage in the open sea in 1898, demonstrating capabilities beyond protected waters and advancing the feasibility of undersea navigation. Throughout his career he developed submarine torpedo boats, underwater salvage equipment, and mechanisms for locating and recovering sunken vessels, securing more than two hundred patents that significantly influenced twentieth-century naval engineering. The check supports research into the history of submarine technology, maritime engineering, and the documentary records of one of the field's most influential inventors.

Lake, Simon. Autograph check. August 2, 1930. Approximately 3 by 6 inches. Entirely completed in Lake's hand, payable to “Cash” in the amount of $90.00, and boldly signed “Simon Lake.” The document preserves Lake's handwriting in a functional financial context rather than as a presentation autograph, providing direct evidence of his everyday business activity during the final decade of his career. Cancellation holes, incurred during banking, touch the signature without obscuring its legibility. Accompanied by a photograph of Lake suitable for display.

Executed only a year before Lake's death, the check dates from a period when his contributions to submarine design had already reshaped both naval warfare and underwater engineering. His pioneering work on ballast systems, diving planes, underwater propulsion, and salvage technology influenced submarine development in the United States and abroad, extending well beyond the vessels he personally designed. Light evidence of banking use, with cancellation holes affecting but not obscuring the signature; otherwise very good condition. Accompanied by a photograph. A desirable documentary autograph connecting one of the foremost innovators in submarine engineering with a personal financial record from the closing years of his remarkable career.

Item #3383

Price: $225.00